


Yukon Jack

by soldiermom1973



Series: Virmire Survivor [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alcohol, Asari - Freeform, F/M, Gift, Illium - Freeform, Regrets, Shenkrios, Shopping, Stocking the bar, Yukon Jack, booze, do something nice, life is too short, make people happy, siha, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-17 02:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9300587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soldiermom1973/pseuds/soldiermom1973
Summary: In Chapter 19 of Virmire Survivor, Josie mentions how she found a bottle of Kaidan's favorite whiskey.  This is that story.





	

**Author's Note:**

> In Chapter 19 of Virmire Survivor, Josie mentions how she found a bottle of Kaidan's favorite whiskey. This is that story.

“Oh, my God, Thane, look.” Josie gripped the drell's arm so tightly he thought she might tear through the leather.

“At what, Siha?” He tried following her gaze over the myriad bottles in front of them, not seeing what she was focused on.

“There. Middle row, about 5 bottles in. Gold liquid, beige-ish label. Yukon Jack.” Josie was practically bouncing up and down with excitement, her voice sounding like a kid who had too much sugar.

Thane followed Josie's extended arm and finger, finally finding the bottle she was so excited about.

“Canadian liqueur,” he frowned, leaning forward to better read the label. 

Josie's excited smile quickly became one that was more sorrowful. “It was Kaidan's favorite whiskey,” she murmured.

“Ah.” Realization washed over Thane as Josie stared longingly at the bottle.

Josie's crew roster was quickly filling up with people from all walks of life, quite a few of whom savored an adult beverage or five more than once in a while. Jack's hyped-up biotic metabolism meant she could put away more than nearly anyone else on the ship, Zaeed liked to unwind with a few drinks after a tough mission, even Miranda, Tali, and Samara traded the occasional mixed drink recipe among one another. It wasn't long before Josie realized she needed to replenish the ship's bar supplies otherwise she might have a mutiny on her hands.

They docked at Illium and Josie convinced Thane to go with her and help pick some stuff out. Thane rarely drank, knowing alcohol in any amount would dull his senses and leave his skills lacking. He didn't want to refuse Shepard's request, though, as his desire to spend as much time with her as often as possible far outweighed his desire to simply remain on the ship. By the time Josie spied that bottle of whiskey, she'd already had quite the collection set up on the counter, waiting to be paid for.

“How do you suppose an asari merchant came to possess this?” Thane wondered aloud.

“Let's ask,” Josie answered, waving the clerk over. “Hey, how are you? I've got a question about that bottle of Yukon Jack.”

“Oh, this?” The young, purple-skinned asari picked the bottle up from the shelf and handled it lovingly. “We acquired it from a human merchant who is trying to win a supplier contract with us. We explained that we currently carry a sufficient variety of alcohol, but he convinced the manager we needed more human-centric beverages. He left several bottles of this as well as several other items for us to sample.”

“And how much is this bottle?” Josie asked.

“This is our last bottle. We sampled out one of them and the rest sold quickly. You're lucky we still have it.” The clerk beamed at Josie and moved to the cash register to ring out the purchases.

“But how much?” she insisted.

“Oh, it's 7500 credits,” the asari said dismissively.

Josie nearly choked. “You're kidding, right?”

“I most certainly am not!” the asari huffed. “We are a high-quality establishment, offering only the finest selection of imported and domestic alcohol available anywhere in the galaxy. If it isn't on our shelf, we can get it for you. This particular brand is rare and the gentleman who provided it will only be able to resupply us sporadically. Did I mention the other bottles we had sold quickly?”

“And how long has this been on your shelf?” Thane asked, clasping his hands behind his back. He knew the way business ran on Illium – if this store's contract allowed it, the clerk could change the price on a whim. It was possible she was lying outright about how the rest of the stock had sold, in an effort to make more money off this lone bottle.

“Oh, only a few days,” she assured him. “In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the people who bought one of the other ones came back for this last one.”

“I see,” Thane replied. Josie sighed heavily, her earlier excitement evaporating like a drop of water on some desert sand.

“Shall I wrap it for you?” the clerk asked, trying to salvage the sale.

“No,” said Josie dejectedly, turning away from the counter. “We'll just take the rest of this, please.”

Josie handed across her credit chit, thankful that she made everyone on the crew pitch in for this shopping spree. When the final bill was totaled, the amount was nearly what that one bottle of whiskey would cost.

“Siha, I could get it for you,” Thane offered.

“No, it's ok,” Josie muttered. “I've got the money, but there's some stuff the crew still needs and I need to be able to pick it up for them.”

“Stuff? What stuff do you need to buy them?” Thane asked.

“Well, you guys are all volunteering,” Josie shrugged, trading delivery directions for her credit chit. “I don't feel right making you pay for the mods and upgrades you need. Besides, Cerberus is footing some of this bill, too.”

Josie gripped Thane's hand and started out of the store, giving one last, longing look over her shoulder at something that held more memories for her than it should have. Part of her wanted to go back into the store and get that bottle, responsibilities be damned. There were still planets out there that had resources she could pick up and sell, not to mention the weapons and gear she stripped off her fallen enemies that might fetch a pretty penny on Omega. She shook her head and kept walking out of the store; even if she did all that, she'd still feel guilty buying herself something so expensive, thinking instead about the things she could have gotten for her crew. “Let's get back to the ship.”

With the Normandy's bar fully stocked again, Josie settled down in her quarters to complete more reports for Miranda to turn in. She found her thoughts wandering time and again to the store on Illium, her heart twinging just a bit with regret that she hadn't added Kaidan's favorite drink to her purchases. She remembered how he would compare every whiskey they had with his 'favorite', commenting how it never measured up.

_”It's good, but not the best,” he said time and again._

_“Alright, Alenko, spill it. What on earth is this magical elixir that you compare every other alcohol to?” Josie asked. She, Kaidan, and Ashley were on Noveria, waiting at a bar to see Administrator Anoleis. They were technically off-duty but remained in their armor to maintain some kind of decorum while they met with the salarian who ran the facility. Josie figured having one drink while they were waiting wouldn't hurt anything, especially with how cold it was._

_“Yukon Jack,” Kaidan grinned._

_Ashley nearly spit out her beer at the name. “Seriously? Like that isn't Canadian enough. What do they make it with, maple syrup?” she snickered._

_“Ha ha, lieutenant,” Kaidan mocked his friend. “They actually make it with honey. It's really smooth. I have yet to find anything that even comes close.”_

_“Yes, LT, we know,” came Ash's sassy response. “You remind us every time we hit a bar.”_

Josie pulled up a picture of the three of them and gave it a wistful smile. “Maybe next time,” she muttered to herself.

“Maybe next time what?”

Josie had been so wrapped up in her memories that she never heard her doors hiss open. Thane paused at the edge of her desk, giving her a chance to put away whatever sensitive materials she might have out.

“That bottle,” she said, shutting off her omni-tool. “I kind of regret not buying it.”

“So, why didn't you? I could see it was important to you. Life is too short, Siha. Whenever an opportunity arises to make yourself happy, you should seize it without question.”

“Ok, smart guy, what if the next time we're fighting off some Blue Suns and I decide that having my way with you then and there would make me happy? You think the mercs would wait while I ravage you?” Josie grinned.

Thane chuckled and shook his head. “Point taken, but you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do,” Josie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “It's just, we still need things for this damn mission. Mods and upgrades and new sensors and ammo and... well, I can't justify spending that kind of money on myself when there's so much else I'm responsible for.”

Josie turned her back to Thane and finished gathering up her datapads. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her a step back so she was snug against him. “Then let me,” he whispered.

His other hand reached around her and in its grasp was the bottle from earlier. Josie's eyes welled with tears at the sight of the black-capped glass, filled to the brim with golden liquid. She ran her fingers over the bottle, brushing Thane's hand. “Thane, you shouldn't have,” she whispered.

“Why not?” he asked, straightening up and turning her around.

“Because it was too expensive!” she protested. “Because you should have spent that money on Kolyat or something that makes _you_ happy.”

“Siha,” Thane smiled, brushing her hair from her face. “Seeing you smile, knowing you're happy _makes me happy_. If spending 7500 credits on a bottle of whiskey will make you happy because that bottle means something to you, then I will do what I can to make that happen.”

Tears spilled from Josie's eyes as she looked up at the drell who was quickly becoming as important to her as Kaidan had been. “Thank you,” she whispered, pressing her cheek against his chest.

“You're welcome.” Thane nestled his cheek on the top of her head, allowing her a few moments to compose herself. When her sniffles stopped, he stepped back and cradled her face in his hands, wiping her tears with his thumbs.

“Shall we open it?” he asked softly.

Josie nodded and Thane smiled, reaching behind her for the bottle, then he descended the steps to retrieve two glasses. He carefully poured them each a drink and handed one of the glasses to Josie.

Josie wrapped her hands around the glass and inhaled. She smelled the faint hints of the honey they used to make it, but other than that it didn't seem extraordinary to her. She studied the glass, wondering what it was Kaidan loved about this stuff so much. It broke her heart all over again, knowing she'd never have the chance to ask him.

She closed her eyes for a moment and allowed herself the chance to once again mourn the man she'd grown to love and the fact she hadn't told him how she felt, to remember the stolen glances and sly touches, the way he smiled and blushed when they flirted and how her decision on Virmire meant she'd never know what it was like to wake up with his arms around her, his mouth pressed gently to her back as a husky, “Good morning,” murmured from his lips.

But she did have Thane... and the drell wasn't without his own pain and heartache. He didn't talk about it much, but when he did, Josie could see Irikah's death still affected him even though it had been ten years. She wondered if Kaidan's death would still hurt in ten years and then thought about asking Thane to tell her more about his wife. She could gain more insight into a man she'd developed strong feelings for, she might learn some new ways to deal with the pain that still clutched at her heart, and it might even help Thane a little, too.

Josie looked up at the assassin, who held his hand out just a bit, offering a toast.

“To Kaidan,” he murmured.

“To Irikah,” she replied.


End file.
